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Coburn asks for details on year-end spending spree

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) wants to know just how much money agencies spent during
what many call the "year-end spending binge" in fiscal 2013.

With less than a week before the end of the fiscal year, traditionally agencies
feel the need to spend any remaining funds in their procurement accounts instead
of returning the money back to the Treasury.

"The potential for this year's spending boom seems likely," Coburn wrote. "A
recent report estimated the value of fourth quarter federal contract opportunities
could reach as much as $53 billion, the highest since fiscal year 2010. The
government and those employed by it will face significant fiscal challenges next
year, and now is not the time for a federal spending extravaganza."

Federal News Radio reported in August that federal contractors were expecting a
huge fourth quarter boon in spending. Govini, a federal market research firm, found the number of
requests for proposals are up by 28 percent in 2013 as compared to 2012.

Coburn asked OMB to provide him with answers to five questions by Nov. 1:

The obligation rates by quarter for all appropriations types for fiscal years
2011, 2012 and 2013;

The department-wide obligations, expenditures and transfers by program element
level and date, and at the budget object level and date for all of fiscal 2012 and
2013 as well as the names of the system(s) of record from which the information
was reported;

The total fiscal 2013 unobligated balances as of Oct. 1, 2013;

The total fiscal 2013 unspent funds as of Oct. 1, 2013.

Coburn said several agencies made smart decisions to comply with sequestration and
avoid furloughs by eliminating
unnecessary spending. He highlighted the departments of Education, Justice,
Agriculture and Homeland Security as those who asked for the ability to transfer
funds from lower-priority accounts.

But, he also had a warning for those agencies who furloughed employees and now are
spending their remaining money.

"Executive and congressional branch offices should continue a wise budgeting path
forward through the end of fiscal year 2013, and resist the urge to blow what is
left in their bank accounts in just a few weeks," Coburn wrote. "Instead, agencies
should make smart choices as they prepare for next year's budgets. Any office,
department or program scurrying to spend last minute funds, while earlier in the
year furloughing employees to produce savings, should be exposed for poorly
managing its sequestered budget, and be subject to judicious oversight of their
spending priorities."